Encouraging New Acknowledgement of Same-Sex Partnerships

[swimboy]

I used to work as a telephone survey pollster so I have a soft spot in my heart when I get a call from one. They always ask for demographics at the end of the poll and I am accustomed to having to explain that I am neither single, married, nor divorced, nor even separated, and being frustrated that those tended to be the only choices.

Last night, I agreed to answer a long, long poll on Tax Preparation Services and Awareness ( :boring: ) and at the end when they asked my marital status I said, "Partnered". The next question was whether my partner's gender was the same or different from my own. I was so unprepared for that I had to ask the pollster to repeat the question.

I think it's great that, in this instance, our partnerships are recognized as an important enough segment of the demographic to be worthy of tracking. There's a long way to go, but this is way evolved from the first time my partner had to check in to the hospital and the only acceptable status answer, as we both sat there together, was "Single".

[mitchtv]

1. I have been involved in some forms with answers

that don't fit "us" Sometimes it's real annoying . I'm in Calif, so sometimes I put "RDP",, but then have to explain registered domestic partner.Sometimes the out of state telcalls just don't get it.

[swimboy]

2. I have spoken up at Doctors' offices

when the forms have only single, married, divorced, separated. I have written in OTHER before and then told them when I turn it in that they need to update their forms. Now I write PARTNERED and when I give my SO as my emergency contact and they ask for relationship I write SPOUSE.